Damage
by SlayGal27
Summary: After Yes Men, Skye walks in on Ward and sees the damage Lorelei left behind. Skyeward.
1. Chapter 1

**First Agents of Shield Fanfic, actually quite excited, and would definitely like some feedback. Sooo... reviews. Reviews are very welcome, tell me if you love it, if you hate it, if you want me to continue with it... anything. Your wish is my command dear reader.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all belongs to Joss Whedon, king of vampires, musicals, and Marvel.**

"Ward! C'mon get out of there, you're taking forever."

Skye was met by silence at the other side of the door. She'd been let out not an hour ago and was looking forward to a shower without someone standing by outside in case she fell. Moments of privacy were fewer and further between after being shot. 5 minutes would be fantastic, if only Ward would get out of the bathroom. "Ward! Hurry up!" More silence.

"Grant Elliot Ward, if you get out of there this instant I'll break this door down, I swear."

When her words were followed by more silence, prompting Skye's fist to bang against the door at unnatural speeds, trying to convince her lagging S.O to Get Out Of There Right Now, Please And Thank You.

She sighed and leaned her head against the door. Suddenly, she didn't care if Ward was ever dropping the biggest doozer he ever experienced, she needed that shower. Skye reached over to the keypad and over-rid the mechanical lock. Why have the skills if you couldn't use them?

The door slid open with a smooth, sigh like sound, and the hacker slammed her hands over her eyes, almost yelling, "I'm not looking!" as she scooted into the bathroom, though she had to be honest, she almost couldn't resist a peak. Almost. Nope, never mind, she peaked. But that's what surprised her. Ward was standing in front of the mirror, gauze and tape sitting uselessly in his hands, staring at his own chest.

If it were any other situation, Skye would tease him for this, but this wasn't a normal situation. Crescent moon marks trail up and down his back and front, slashed through by rough trails still leaking red, made, obviously, by someone's nails. Someone like…

"Lorelei," Skye breathed, "She did this to you?" Ward doesn't speak. He simply bows his head in shame and Skye knows. And Skye is angry. Not at Ward, but at the evil temptress who put him like this.

She traces the marks lightly with the pad of her finger, ignoring the gentle shudder that passes his form at her touch.

She takes the gauze and antiseptic to the marks on his back, sealing each one shut, then moved on to his front. When she's done, he comes back a bit.

"Thank you," he says, quiet in that Wardly way of his.

"What are friends for, if not bandaging you up after a sex assault?"

"Not just this. Thank you for… not dying."

He presses a kiss to her forehead, and Skye allows a tiny smile to engrave her face. Ward isn't usually affectionate, she knows that, but maybe he could be, when he tried. He smiles at her, then retreats to his bunk. Skye sighs. Maybe a cold shower would be the better way to go.

**Bad? Good? Let me know. Love hearing your thoughts my lovelies, reviews are candy, and constructive criticism is my very best friend.**

**Thanks loves!**

**SlayGal**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, I know it's been almost two weeks since I got started with this, but a lot of people have asked me to continue with this, so here I am. Off-topic, did anyone see Divergent? It was good, but they did it so out of order from the book, it was kinda depressing. I mean really. They kiss before she goes to see Caleb in the book. Get it right! I loved the music though, and I liked how they portrayed Al. But Uriah! Uriah wasn't there! And neither was Lynn or Marlene. Am I the only one totally psyched for the Insurgent movie though? First though, I need to get my hands on copy of Alleigent. No spoilers, please! Anyway, Divergent fangirling over, let's get down to business.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. All belongs to the great Joss Whedon, king of Marvel Comics. Well not really. But most of the movies.**

It's a few days later, when they're training, when she notices something different about him. He'd never been overly tanned, but now his skin has taken on a dull gray trace. His movements are slower, and his punches jerkier, less volatile. He lacks his usual strength that makes him so Ward-y. Then, one dreaded morning, he's the one late to training. It doesn't help to ease her mind that he looks almost worse than he was when he had been holding the Berserker Staff. It definitely doesn't help when he snaps at her for standing around, looking at him.

"What's your problem?" He asked.

"What's yours?"

Ward scoffed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. You've been acting weird, and no offense, you look like crap."

"Gee, thanks."

He heads over to the punching bag in a huff, ignoring the hackers words, but Skye is nothing if not persistent.

"Ward I'm serious. You should get Simmons to look at you."

"Skye, I'm fine."

"Ward, please-"

"I said I'm fine, now would you shut up?"

The silence that permeates the air is poisoned.

"I didn't mean that."

"I'm gonna go."

"Skye, wait-"

"It's not your fault I just… I think we both need to cool off a little bit."

Her footsteps are light on the stairs, but to him, they pound against his skull. He swings meagerly at the punching bag again, and sits heavily on a crate. The odor of sweat is heady and thick, doing nothing to help the dull ache pushing against his forehead. He massages his temples gently, and thinks. He knows that Skye was only trying to help. He knew his reaction had been out of line. He knew Skye was probably hurting right now, and he knew he should go confront her about it, and he knew he should apologize. But he didn't.

_Coward._

The voices in his head did nothing to help.

She's in her van when he goes after her. He can hear the keys of her laptop clicking away and the music coming from her earbuds. He knocks three times, then opens the door.

He's not exactly sure what he expected. Maybe to see her hacking into his most secure files, or maybe to see her sobbing. He knows what he didn't expect though. What he didn't want.

Skye was always a pinnacle of emotion, and personality, and bright bubbly feelings that made you smile. Sitting in from of him was someone else. Her jaw was set, her eyes glazed over and staring blankly at the screen. The corner of her eye is tearstained, and the usual warmth in her cheeks is lost in the florescent glow of her laptop.

"Skye?"

Her head snaps to attention.

"Yes Ward?"

"A-Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I mean, you look like you've been…"

He gestures to her face. She quickly wipes it away.

"I'm fine Ward."

"No, you're not. Look, about what I said…"

"It's over now. In the past. It doesn't… I dunno, affect me anymore."

_She's lying, _the voices say, _She doesn't trust you if she's lying. And doesn't that make you _mad?

It does, he realizes, it makes hot, red anger boil up in the pit of his stomach. It makes demons pull at his brains, cackling and swishing. It makes his fist reach out and clock the doorframe of the car. It makes Skye's eyes shoot up, alight with wariness.

"Ward…"

"Stop LYING!"

Another punch to the vehicle.

"If you have a problem Skye, tell me! But no, you have to go and ignore it, because that's what you do. You let it all roll off your back. 'Oh, it's no big deal. It doesn't affect anyone else, I'll just let it go!' For once, for _once, _don't let this roll off your back Skye! So tell me your issue-"

"You! You're my issue! You're always so stubborn about everything. You won't let us help you. Why not?"

"I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help!"

He's breathing heavily now, flashes of rage shooting through his eyes, darkening them.

"Ward…"

"What? What do you want me to do? I don't curl into a ball and run! That's not who I am!"

"_Ward_…"

"And if you make another smartass comment about running while being curled up in a ball, I swear Skye-"

"WARD!"

"WHAT?!"

"CALM DOWN!"

He catches his breath, focusing on the air filling his lungs and streaming out through his nose.

"Lift up your shirt," she says quietly.

His mind blanks, and it must show, seeing as she rolls her eyes and remarks, "Not like that you dirty minded child."

"Why?"

"I need to see something."

He complies. His energy is gone. It was taken by the rage.

His bandages had been changed that morning, but by now, the scratch marks and crescent moons should have faded. The ones that aren't covered seem to be leaking, preformed scabs ripped apart by strain. Dreading what's beneath, she lifts the bandage.

The marks are tinged green and sickly. The scabbing that has formed is grey and oozing. It looks like he was slashed by an animals' claws rather than an Asgardian sorceress, though, she wonders if there's a difference.

"How..?"

"I'm not sure."

"This is why you didn't want to go to Simmons."

"What happened was my own fault. I didn't want to burden her because of my mistake."

"It wasn't your fault Ward. You weren't in your right mind."

"I was. The spell… it didn't matter. I had my wits about me, I should've known…"

"Known what? She'd leave poison scratch marks? How could you've?"

"I shouldn't have done it in the first place. I should've… resisted."

"Ward, c'mon. You and I both know that this isn't your fault. It was a mission. You followed orders, these were the consequences. That doesn't make what she did okay, because you think your head was clear. It doesn't put you at any fault."

"I could say the same thing to you. How's your stomach feeling Rookie?"

"I'm fine."

She's standing in front of him, her fingers still tracing the scarring he's sure to have. He lets his hands slip forward, under hers, onto her cloth covered stomach. Her breath catches in her throat, and he notices that with just how close they are to each other, they're practically breathing the same air. His hand finds one of hers, and he raises it to his mouth, pressing his lips against her knuckles in a tender way he wasn't altogether aware he possessed.

"Are you gonna let Simmons check you out?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Ward, please."

He lets his lips press back to her knuckles for a moment.

"Okay."

**Kay, so I'm not sure if that sucked or not. I felt like the ending was pretty solid, but, as always, feedback is appreciated. I'm not sure if I'll do a few more chapters, or I'll make a series of interconnected Skyeward One-shots. Let me know what you would like. Complete Story-arc, or just little bits of fluff?**

**Let me know**

**SlayGal**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, I'm gonna try to update once, maybe twice a week. I watched the new episode, and I'm not actually emotionally stable at the moment, so, there's that. If anyone else wants to share theories or cry together, review, PM, anything. My shoulder is free.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, Ward would not even have a chance at being HYDRA.

He's hooked up to the machines again. Skye watches him. He looks so small for someone so big, all hunched over like that. His scratches are obvious and red against his slightly gray skin. His cinnamon eyes sweep the room and land on her. His jaw is resolute; his face doesn't betray the merest dash of emotion. He acts like the soldier he was trained as, but there's a whisper of fear whenever his mask of stoicism wavers, and it only wavers when he looks at her. She's not quite sure how to handle this. Instead, she listens to Simmons' scientific chatter.

"Well, your vitals seem alright, save the racing heart of course, but that can be marked down to adrenaline. The thing is, the signs you're currently displaying are quite a bit like those you showed after you held the Berserker Staff. Blood pressure and heart rate, higher than usual, and your brain is releasing an excess amount of epinephrine."

"In English?"

"Anger, Agent Ward."

"Oh."

"Yes, quite. I believe that something in Lorelei's DNA relapsed the effects of the Berserker Staff. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure, you should calm down. Try a relaxing activity, perhaps, or maybe get some sleep-"

She was cut off by Ward slamming his fist into the table.

"I don't need to relax, Simmons, I need to work this off!"

"Agent Ward! I will not be spoken to that way in my lab, or anywhere else for the matter. May I remind you about the last time you held Staff? You were restless for weeks on end, trying to 'work it off', and if I'm remembering correctly, I gave the same suggestion then as I am giving you know. You look terrible, and it's quite obvious you haven't taken a shower in days. So go, wash up, and go to bed. You never know where a fair amount of sleep will get you, and my current hopes are that it will get you out of this state. Now go!"

She pointed at the door to the labs, and Ward followed her orders, throwing his shirt on in the process. He swings petulantly at the leather punching bag, sending it spinning. Jemma sighs and sends a glance Skye's way, not missed by the latter.

"I'll go talk to him."

It's her turn to find him, and he's in his bunk, where she thought he'd be, but he isn't resting. He's sitting on the bed, hands threaded through his own hair, like he's trying to tear it out.

"I thought Simmons said to try and sleep."

"Can't sleep."

"Nightmares?"

He nods in reply, and she moves to sit beside him on the bed.

"Is it your brothers again?"

"No," he mutters.

"But I thought-"

"Well you thought wrong."

The words come out in a growl, but she doesn't back away.

"You'd better go," he tells her.

"Ward, I know it's not a good time, but I am here or you, I-"

"Don't do that!"

His hands finally release his hair, leaving it stuck up in all directions, and his eyes flash something fanatic.

"Don't you get it Skye? I'm slipping. I'm going absolutely crazy, and why? Because I wasn't strong enough to resist whatever mind game she was playing with me."

"Ward, you know that's not true-"

He shoots up and begins pacing.

"It is though! And now, the rage is back, and I don't even see my brothers anymore. They aren't what I have nightmares about."

"Then what is it? I can help you Grant, if you just tell me-"

"It's you!"

He deflates instantly, shoulders sagging, and he falls back to the bed, hands returning to his hair.

"Every time I fall asleep, it's you. You're in that tube and there's nothing I can do but-"

She places a hand on his arm, and he focuses on that, her hand, an anchor.

"I can't help. I can't move. And you just lay there, and you're dying, and there isn't a thing…"

He draws a long, shaking breath.

"I should've been there with you Skye. I should've protected you. I don't dream about my brothers as much anymore. I dream about you. You're back in that cellar, and it isn't Quinn shooting you."

A ripple of understanding flashes across her face. She knows what that's like, to feel guilty for something you haven't got a lick of control over.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No."

She stands to go, but he reaches out and catches her wrist.

"Ward?"

He releases her. She stays a moment longer, looking at him, before finally drifting back to her own bunk. She knows he'll talk when he's ready.

Only when she's out of earshot does he whisper, "Please don't leave me."

I know it's been awhile since I've last updated. I'm sorry guys, I really am. I think I portrayed Ward's more vulnerable side okay, but I'm not completely sure, so… review? I hope that you haven't lost interest though. Better things are coming soon, I promise. This will probably turn into a multichapter, and I have a pretty good idea of what will happen next. However, I still have room for idea's, so if you want to see something happen in this story, review, PM me, whatever you want. I like to hear your ideas.

See ya!

SlayGal


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww Chapter! Yay! I really love the feedback I've gotton for this story. Keep them reviews coming friends! Thank you all so incredibly much, you're all amazing. Sorry for last chapter, there was a processing screw up there somewhere, sooooo….. If you haven't reread the fixed version yet, please do that. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately not. But if I were a TV show writer, I would probably torture you all too, so probably better I just stick to this website.**

**Without Further ado!**

_ It's cold, dark musty. It's exactly the way his mind remembers it. He holds a pistol, gripped carefully in his right hand, and she stands in front of him. The barrel is pointed at her stomach, and his finger tightens around the trigger. Every part of him, every fiber of his being is telling him to turn the gun away from her. To pull his finger off the trigger. His body doesn't listen to him. She stares at him with her x-ray eyes. Seeing through him, but never understanding. Scared. Wary. She knows what's coming, what he can't stop himself from doing. He wants to speak, wants to tell her that this isn't what he wants, but he's frozen. He needs to get out of here, he needs to wake up, but the recesses of his mind don't release him until he's completed the task at hand. There's a bang, and a flash of crimson appears across her blouse. He reaches forward to catch her, and another bullet lodges itself in her stomach. There are salted streaks down both their faces, and she breathes. She doesn't breathe again. He screams. It tears out of his throat, a sound that can't be human. It's to raw, to guttural. It isn't. He's not human anymore, he's a monster, he's done this to her. It's his fault, his fault, his-_

"Grant!"

His eyes shoot open. She sits in front of him on the bed.

"Skye," he sighs in relief. Then suddenly she's in his arms, though he doesn't remember pulling her there.

"Thank God," he says, "Thank God."

"Ward, are you okay?"

She's only inches away from him, but he isn't brave enough to close the gap between them.

"Nightmare?" She asks, and he nods.

"Budge up then."

She wriggles her way under the covers.

"Skye?"

"Hmm…"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm fighting the nightmares away. You said they were sometimes of me getting shot, yes? So this way, when you wake up, you'll see that I'm fine. Okay?"

He's not exactly sure how to respond to that, except to join her beneath the blankets.

"It's okay you know."

"What is?"

"The nightmares. I have them sometimes too."

"Do you want to tell me?"

"Maybe in the morning."

It's silent after that. Her breathing evens out, and he can tell she's fallen asleep. Soon enough, his eyelids fall over on themselves, rest claiming his mind. There aren't any more nightmares that night.

When he wakes up, she's still there. Sometime in the night, she wedged herself under his arm, resting her head in his chest. Her ear is right above his heart, and he knows, that had she been conscious, she'd tease him endlessly about how it was pounding. Instead she sleeps on. Her breathing is comfort, and he listens to the soft sound that reassures him that she's alive, and well, and with him. On a whim, he leans down and kisses the top of her head, before settling himself back to sleep. Had he only stayed awake a moment longer, he would have seen his rookie blink her eyes open, and smile.

**Yay or Nay? I know the whole falling asleep together is kinda cliché, but it's the best cliché there is, sooo…. Deal. I thought it was okay. Review or PM your thoughts to me. Thank you very much, have an awesome day.**

**Love yall**

**SlayGal**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Soo.. That last episode. Anyone else have their heart shoved down their throat by Ward? I know I did. This chapter could be an opening to a kind of closing story arc. So, I was wondering. Do you guys want me to write a longer story, or do you want me to wrap it up soon. If I do a longer story, there'll be a misson in there. If I do a shorter one… well, you'll find out in the next chapter. I know I want to have at least one mission in there somewhere. The difference is if you want more details about it, or if you want me to skip straight to the end part. I could write a mission, but it wouldn't me the main SkyeWard event. It would only be build up. The main event will be a bit dramatic, but bear with me, I promise not to go totally OOC on you guys.**

It's strange, she decides, to wake up to someone else's breathing. Someone else's heartbeat. Consciousness whispers to her sleep addled mind, but she puts it off. Because something is tugging gently at her scalp, and it feels good. Like a massage, but not. Tug, tug, tug. She opens her eyes. Sunlight trips over itself to collapse on the carpet, and she's leaning against something warm. There's something gentle pressing to the top of her head. She's only halfway there, a bleary image of Ward's closed eyes and a barely there grin filtering through her mind as she turns her head. She copies the smile, and reaches up, pressing her fingertip against his nose.

"Hello," she says.

Her reply is a yawn-ridden, "Hey."

"Still tired?"

"Not really."

"Feeling better?"

"A bit."

"Hmm."

She lifts herself onto her forearms and extracts herself from the burrito of blankets and comfort and Ward.

"Where're you going?"

"There's this interesting thing called clothing, Agent Ward."

"I know Rookie, but it's early."

"The sun's up."

"So?"

"Who are you and what have you done with my S.O?"

"Skye, seriously. I know you're tired."

"But Waaaarrrrrd, the sky is awake, so _I_ am awake, so we have to _train_."

"Stop quoting Frozen and come back to bed."

Her eyebrow quirks, making him roll his eyes.

"Not like that Rookie."

"Oh no, I know exactly what you meant."

She smiles, one of those secret smiles that he doesn't see very often when they're alone, and he'd be damned if he'd ever seen it with the team around.

"Really though Ward, I gotta go."

She turns towards the door and slides her hand along the wall panel. It opens softly, and the image of Coulson, fist poised to knock, pulls them straight, Ward out of the bed, and standing to attention.

"Skye," he says, the fist falling to his side but never unclenching, "What are you doing in here?"

"Just, getting Ward up for training."

"Really? In your pajama's?"

AC can see right through the meager lie, but Skye still smiles and replies, "Well, all due respect to Agent Ward sir, but he does need more time in the morning nowadays."

"Huh. I see."

Coulson slides his eyes from the tall man to the hacker.

"We've got a mission. Get changed. Debrief in ten."

"Yes sir."

She slipped past Coulson and headed to her bunk.

"Sir-"

"Don't start with me Ward. You've broken protocol in this instance before with May. I know what the two of you had ended. I know that you may have feelings for Skye. But this team, it's her family, her first family. She needs to be able to trust us, so if you hurt her, let me be very clear when I say that you may find my hand slips while you're standing on the cargo ramp, and it would be a very long swim home. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir."

Coulson lets his icy gaze hang over his specialist for a moment.

"Get dressed."

**Little bit of Daddy Coulson laying down the law for you guys. Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I know that it's annoying. I've been trying, truly, but things have been busy and I have been more than a little blocked. But hey, I did it, yes? As always, reviews are perfection, and I'll try to update sometime within the next couple of weeks. Might be hard, with the semester almost over and all the big tests coming up, but I promise something.**

**Love you guys!**

**SlayGal**


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